Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Fonville.
Tyler, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My interest in design began at a really young age. I had a love for animals, title sequences, video game UI, Halo, etc. Combining that with a natural ability to draw, and support from the fam, really sealed the deal! I can’t ignore the meta here too, something less pen-and-ink, but the journey to understand my depression and procrastination very much shaped who I am today as well.
During grade school, my parents and classmates had me drawing all kinds of stuff. Like logos, athletes, snakes, etc. I had a good time and it kept me social. My parents were kind enough to encourage the craft as well, putting me through some light tutoring and local art competitions. I never won anything, but it was a nice challenge. Thinking back on it, I really appreciated them doing that, though I wish I had done a better job!
The challenges further solidified “art” as my primary source of well-being. My love for all things composition really stemmed from my Dad. He was an ad guy. Art directing around town for big brands and I got to follow him around the agency, sometimes visiting him on commercial shoots, helping the grips and standing in as a background actor! I loved the flow of it, the people he worked with, and I think it gave me a love for light and composition. Seeing behind the scenes was one of the best feelings, and I wondered if there was a way I could join in the fun.
University taught me a few things, but making the move to Chicago blew it out of the water. It’s an incredible city with highly skilled minds, wonderful eats, and some of the most amazing architecture. Fully immersing myself in the creative community there helped mold my perception of design today. There were challenges and failure I experienced that really inspired my creative growth. A few years past and we needed to make another life change, so we moved to Dallas. My community grew stronger and I graduated from thinking purely functional or technical, to understanding how to work with people, whilst maintaining the vision. It’s been a cool journey so far, and everyday is a new opportunity to make something happen!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no! Early on I knew that I wanted to do something creative with my life. Design just seemed like the best way to make money doing it! I think having a clear vision and good set of friends around me at a young age pushed me along. Where I started running into trouble was as I got older, developing my identity and learning to cope with reality, I got really bogged down in the details of life around me. Since I really tried to absorb everything around me, trying to really learn everything I could, I fell behind in school, I was picked on a bit, and I missed the importance of simply letting things go. I probably could have avoided a lot of trouble if I saw the bigger picture.
As I matured, growing out of my awkward high school phase, and diving into university life, my confidence as a designer really took a hit. I wasn’t progressing as well as I had hoped, and I think I really missed what they were trying to teach me about traditional “design”. I was so focused on creating the idea, pushing the limits and always coming up with something new, that I struggled with deadlines, briefs, and the small stuff like keeping a calendar lol.
After the move to Chicago, I basically had to unlearn everything. At that point I was so wrapped up in how I felt, and why in the world I wasn’t doing “well” in the design world, that I dragged myself down and had to cope with new feelings of despair and aggression. What really pulled me out of that was the innate sense to keep going, never giving up, and always searching for how I could be better, never really blaming the world around me for my missteps.
On the way out, my boss Michael Carr would say to “just be yourself”. At first I thought it was lame, but then I had a weird sense of confidence come from that. There was someone who “approved” of me or “accepted” me. That gave me enough foothold to keep going.
From there it was really learning to accept myself and finding those moments of clarity to keep pushing forward. There was some serious talent in Chicago I could learn from, as well as my close friends I found through church. I could open up to them, and in return, they empowered me with new perspectives and flexible thinking that nurtured my maturity.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an all-around creative! Someone with cool ideas, the will to push, and I’m open to try new things. I’ve been painting for a long time, I’m a problem solver that can design, and I love to get out there to network, really help others to see their value, no matter the circumstance. They deserve the chance.
I specialize in graphic design, and that’s probably what I’m most known for! I run a sandlot baseball team here in town called the Dallas Sheeple, so I may also be known for that ha. We’re constantly flexing on poster design, swag, and grilling up some dogs.
I’ve been doing a lot since I moved here, but I’d have to say that I’m most proud of my work with the family at Spire Agency. We created some killer stuff, won some cool awards, and I think we all created a vibe there that became something worth talking about. I helped bring Spire to the table here in Dallas, regarding the design community, and we made a fairly boring B2B segment look pretty great. They also helped me see my blindsides and I’ve seen so much personal improvement since then!
That may be what sets me apart. I really value looking inward first, being self-aware, taking feedback well, and always being willing to change. I think good creative is like money, just go make more of it right? But if getting good creative is like pulling teeth, I reassess the approach. Hopefully those I work with see that in my direction whenever I have the opportunity. Life’s too long to drive stuck in first gear.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Advice for just starting out? Just be yourself, but never stop creating. When creative block happens, I found some success from taking a shower! For whatever reason, I would have all my ideas there. I figured out that the shower completely disconnected myself from the world of responsibilities. No once could reach me, and I couldn’t reach them. All pressure was off and I’d have a flood of ideas. So now I try to tell others to “find their shower”.
Wish I knew? I really wish I had began accepting myself earlier. Depression has held me down, and without the tools early on to manage my emotions, really grounding myself and letting things go, my career growth was somewhat stunted.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tylerfonville.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fonvl/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fonty/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reviewssake
